Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil
by rei-jikitsune21
Summary: Marik is finally losing it. There's something inside of him, whispering awful things, evil things; telling him to do things he doesn't want to do and he can't shut it out. He's needs help but no one listening….Now he's left to deal with the aftermath. AU.
1. Paranoia

**A/N: ** Hello! Thanks so much for deciding to read this ^^ I'll have you know that this is my first attempt at a Bronzeshipping fic (and a demented fic at that :D) but I hope you will enjoy nevertheless :)

Here's a glossary in my way of writing:

Marik Ishtar= Marik

Yami Marik= Malik

_/Malik Speaking/_

_"Malik speaking"_

_Marik thinking_

**Rating: M**

**Genre: **Horror/Angst/Crime/Romance

**Pairings: **Bronzeshipping; one-sided Clashshipping, fearshipping, and psychoshipping

Now onward with the story! (^o^)/

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><p><strong>Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil<strong>

**Chapter 1- Paranoia**

Marik sat on his bed, watching the shadows of his fingers in the sunset's light while half-listening to his sister and doctor converse outside his bedroom door.

He was uptight; bordering stressed even. And he blamed it on the lack of strength that his meds had. He needed it to be stronger…it was the only way to shut the voices out.

Marik tensed visibly, as if the mere mention of the voices would cause them to erupt in a loud chorus of dissonant speaking. He had come to fear them…the voices in his head. It had scared him silly when he first heard them speak, hearing them from everywhere but nowhere at all. What was worse was that they all had the same voice, though they were not his own, and when they started up it would always be this incessant whirlwind of commenting and rebuking on every little thing he did.

He hated that they always watched everything he did and how they would laugh mockingly at him every time he tried to tell his sister—or another doctor—what they whispered so viciously to him. He shuddered at the thought. Since his medicine was no longer working effectively, the voices were now back, getting stronger with each passing day and becoming dangerously eerie.

_/Ahaha…/_

Marik stiffened, his heart racing at 1,000 miles per second. _No, no, no….Go away…._

The voice, one voice this time, cackled darkly. _/Do I scare you, Little One?/_ it whispered. _/There is no need to be….I am only here to protect you. After all…that is what you created me for…./_

_No, no, I didn't_, Marik thought frantically, clutching his head as if that would make the voice shut up. _Just go away…._

Luckily, the doctor chose to enter his room at that moment and Marik quickly pretended to scratch his head so as not to alert the man.

The doctor was none the wiser. As he pulled up a stool across from Marik, Ishizu also came into his room, sitting beside him whilst offering her support to him.

The voice snorted, causing Marik to flinch but otherwise ignored it and focused his attention on his doctor, Shimizu-sensei.

"Thanks for allowing me to stop by on such short notice," he said warmly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I wanted to at least see you before I went on vacation."

"It's no problem, Shimizu-sensei," said Ishizu. "I'm just glad you called before you left."

Shimizu-sensei smiled before a solemn expression crossed his features. "Alright now; Marik," He peered at him over his oval-shaped glasses. "How's that new medication I gave you?"

"It's not doing well," replied Marik. "It's not working; it's not working the way I need it to. The voices are coming back now."

"Alright," the doctor said softly, scribbling some nonsense on his clipboard. He looked to Ishizu. "Has he been taking his pills every time?"

She nodded. "I make sure of it."

"Alright." More scribbling.

Marik was beginning to get anxious and frighten again; he could hear the voices laughing, making fun of his doctor and telling him that Shimizu-sensei wasn't there to help him; that Shimizu-sensei was just lying to him.

Marik went rigid, no longer hearing the conversation his sister and doctor were having. The voices were lying to him. The voices were lying, they were lying, _they were lying_. Marik kept repeating those words like a mantra, trying his damnest to block them out; to stop hearing them.

"Marik?"

Marik blinked. Ishizu and Shimizu-sensei were staring at him as if they were expecting him to answer something they had asked. He swallowed, trying to get his body to relax again. "I-I didn't hear what you said," he muttered lamely.

The doctor frowned. "I asked how you're session with your psychologist was going."

"Oh." Shimizu-sensei was trying to make conversation with him. Marik shrugged, his expression impassive.

Shimizu-sensei's frown deepened before he gave a slip to his sister. "I'm going to add Zyprexa to his medicine routine, okay? Now these will be the tablets that disintegrate when you put them in your mouth; He only needs to take them once a day with the rest of his medication." He started jotting away on his clipboard again. "We'll start prescribing him with the 10mg tablets. Make sure you read the instructions alright?"

Ishizu nodded and Shimizu-sensei stood up. "Well, give my office a call if things improve or not; my secretary knows where to reach me while I'm away, okay?"

"Yes, I will," Ishizu said, walking the doctor out. She gave one last look at Marik before she closed his door.

Marik sighed. He couldn't wait to start taking his new prescription.

The voices inside his head jeered in response.


	2. Cure Session

**A/N: **Wow, this could be considered a drabble than a chapter ^^; Sorry. I'll make it up in the next chapter. Thanks so much to Marikshipper for reviewing! o(^▽^)o

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><p><strong>Chapter 2- Cure Session<strong>

"Brand new days…brand new world…brand new sunrise…" Marik sang softly as he grabbed a carton of milk out of the fridge then a glass from a cabinet.

He felt better than he had ever felt in his life; the new medication was like a dream come true to him. Everyday Marik would take his breakfast along with his meds before heading out to work at a local café. No longer did he hear the cutting voices in his head; the relentless chants of hostile demands and wishes. It was like a burden was lifted.

The Egyptian teen was finally able to move on from them, even gaining himself a pair of what he deemed to be real friends. One of them was a white haired teen named Bakura, who worked as a chef in the café Marik worked in. He was also a thief although, somehow, he never manages to get caught. He was a badass (which didn't stop Marik from developing a crush on the teen) and acted like one too but, luckily, they manage to get along really well. And because of his relationship with Bakura, Marik also got to meet his twin brother, Ryou. Marik found him to be adorably sweet; quite a stark contrast to the lone wolf attitude of his older brother.

Not that he minded. They were the best thing that ever happened to him, aside from the medication. They didn't seem to mind his awkwardness or his mental problem. In fact, it seemed that they all had their own demons: Bakura was an alcoholic and stole frequently (hence his habit of stealing things from the café) and Ryou had suicidal tendencies; he would never admit it out loud but he thought they fit quite nicely. They made him feel closer to sanity and more human.

Though he was enjoying his newfound freedom Marik found ways to abused it somewhat. Eventually he had begun to drink alcohol again, sometimes with his medication. After seven months of near bliss, Marik, unwittedly, stopped taking the pills. The Egyptian teen felt he no longer needed to keep taking them; it had fulfilled its purposed to him. Secretly, he begun to hide the rest of the pills from his sister, even going so far as to pretend to take them in front of her so she would think he was still taking them. Of course, he would spit it out as soon as she left the room.

It was no wonder that his chances of actually keeping his piece of tranquility flew out the window as the teen stood by the kitchen counter and drank some milk.


	3. Closing In

**Chapter 3- Closing In**

He recognized this feeling; the cold dread that seemed to crawl across his skin, the familiar sensation he could feel pulling beneath his subconscious. This feeling…he knew it well.

And he thought he would never feel this way again.

Fear prickled at the corner of his mind, his skin…making his hair stand up at the ends. Marik breathed deeply… slowly. He was just imagining it; he was overreacting. Yes, that was it. Just overreaction…

/_So quick to disillusion yourself from the truth, eh, Hikari?/_

The glass of milk slipped from Marik's fingertips as if in slow motion, his eyes opened wide. Everything seemed to freeze and become cold; including his heart and blood. He didn't hear the sound of his glass crashing to the floor. He didn't feel the spilt milk that stained the floor, and dressed his shoes and the bottoms of his jeans in white. He couldn't move…not even to bring himself to pick up the mess. Adrenaline soon kicked in but he still stood motionless, endlessly repeating one singular thought in his head: _No, no, no, no, _no_…._

The voice laughed. Softly…_menacingly. /I've been gone for so long and _this _is how you welcome me?/ _It snickered, clearly amused by Marik's state of well-being.

The reaction was immediate this time. Marik raised his hands and practically slammed his hands against his ears, squeezing his eyes shut as he shouted, "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

The voice howled with laughter and it seemed to echo in the otherwise silent kitchen as well as in his head. Marik felt extremely sick. Lowering himself into a crouch, he began to rock himself back and forth, his lips moving soundlessly as he did so. Soon though, the singular voice was joined by a chorus of others. They rose together in volume before settling down to a dull roar and then, abruptly, cutting off entirely.

Marik blinked in surprise. He raised his head slightly, wondering why there was now silence in the room until he heard a door in the hallway clicking. Quickly, the Egyptian stood up, opened a drawer, and pulled out a checkered dish towel. No sooner had he done this did he hear the door open; Ishizu was already back from grocery shopping.

Marik took a few deep breaths before calling out. "You're back already?" He was pleased at himself to find that his voice was calm; devoid of any of his earlier emotions.

"Yes," Ishizu voice called out from the hallway, "and I'm pleased to say that I didn't get distracted this time while I was in there."

As his sister was talking, Marik was able to mop up all of the spilled milk and pile the broken glass pieces together. He stood up and dropped the dish towel in the sink before walking into the hallway where Ishizu was.

"Before going in there," Marik said, taking most of the bags, "be careful. I dropped my glass."

He returned into the kitchen and set the bags on the counter, tuning out whatever it was his sister was saying to him. He didn't want to hear anything right now; He needed to be on guard.

_/I'm not the one you should be on guard about, Hikari…./_

Resisting the urge to tense up, Marik retrieved a broom and dustpan along with a plastic bag and began to work on cleaning his mess. He refused to listen to it! He was just imaging it! It was just imagination!

"Marik?"

The teen in question blinked in surprised. _Oh…_

He had almost forgotten that his sister was still in the same room with him. Straightening himself up, he forced out a gruff "What?" as he tied up the plastic bag and dumped it into the trashcan.

"Are you alright?" Ishizu asked worriedly. "Your mind seems to be elsewhere…"

"It's nothing," said Marik. "What were you saying again?"

"Hm? Oh…. I was just saying that I'll be leaving on a business trip in two days. To Egypt again."

Marik looked at her in as much as an expression of shock as he could muster. "What? Why so quickly?" he asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

This was the worse. The absolute worse. He couldn't be left alone right now. He didn't even have a clue where he had his meds either. If Ishizu left…no, he just couldn't be alone…the voice…he….

"That's what I had said," replied Ishizu, completely obvious to Marik's uncharacteristic show of display. "But you know my work. I've been told that it was a really rare find and they needed my expertise. That's why I agreed to go."

"Oh…" was all Marik could say for lack of anything else.

"It'll be for about a month but it could be a little bit longer."

"Okay…"

It definitely wasn't okay. Not in the least; far from it. But the last thing Marik was going to do was tell Ishizu he was hearing the voices again. If she knew…

_/She'll have you thrown right back into_ that _place again./_ the voice injected, finishing what Marik was too afraid to end on his own.

Inwardly, Marik shuddered. He didn't want to think like that. Ishizu, of all people, wanted him to get better.

_/No, she doesn't./_

Marik was beginning to feel sick. This was the last thing he wanted to hear right now.

"Marik, are you sure you're alright?"

This time Marik couldn't help but stiffen, his sister's word cutting off his inner thoughts once again.

"I said I'm fine," he replied listlessly. "I was just thinking I'll have to cook for myself for a while again."

He took a glance at his sister's expression; she didn't look to be buying what he was saying but he was expecting it. His sister was very good at seeing right through him most of the time, even if he didn't want it.

She still held the worried expression on her features and she was looking at him intently; something she did when she was worried or confused about something.

Not wanting her to read to closely, Marik quickly said, "What?"

"I'm just worried; you don't seem to be yourself…"

Marik could hear the voices begin speaking again faintly, he made sure it didn't show on his face. "What makes you think that?"

"Marik…" Ishizu said. "Did something happen? Or…"

_Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it…_

"…did you stop taking your medicine?"

Now the voices were unbearably loud. Their voices had been rising through all of Ishizu's words, Marik's fear rising with them until they've become like this now. Pressure coming in on every side, he could feel bile coming up his throat.

It took a lot of effort but Marik was able to tune the voices and look at Ishizu with a straight face. "How crazy do you think I am?"

Ishizu continued to look at him, doubt clearly written on her face, before she sighed in defeat. "All right then."

Uncomfortable with the way his sister was still looking at him, Marik averted his eyes towards the clock.

"I have to go to work now," said Marik, walking out of the kitchen and heading for the door.

As soon as he opened the door he felt his sister's hand on his shoulder. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips. "What is it?"

"….Just…promise me that you'll take care of yourself, Marik."

Indifferent to his sister's plea, Marik merely nodded once, shrugging his sister's hand off of him as he stepped outside and closed the door shut behind him.

The sky was a clear, pale gray, appearing every now and then under darker gray clouds. Marik tore his eyes away from the dull view of the sky and opened his front door. It was late and the Egyptian teen wanted nothing to do except eat and then take a relaxing long nap. All day he had to be on his guard, especially while he was at work, making sure the voices didn't surprise him so that he wouldn't act any different than he would while he was on meds. He didn't need anybody to notice that he was beginning to have episodes again. So, he needed to put up a front and find the bottles of meds that he had hid away.

Leaning back against the door and locking it, Marik called out into the darkening house. "Ishizu, I'm home."

No answer.

"Ishizu?" he called out again. Still no answer.

A sinking feeling of dread was beginning to crawl its way up the pit of his stomach; he was starting to feel sick. Oddly enough, the voices were quiet.

Marik pushed himself away from the door and quickly headed towards the kitchen. If his sister had to leave earlier than planned she would always leave a note on the table. He hoped this wasn't the case this time.

As he rounded the hallway corner and into the kitchen, his fears were confirmed as he saw a blue sticky note on the table. Stiffly, Marik picked up the note and read it:

_Marik_

_Sorry, but they found more rare items near the site of their first find. They needed me straightaway. You'll have food for the rest of this month. Just make sure you're eating well._

_I'll be back soon._

_Ishizu_

It felt like hours had went by as Marik stared at the simple piece of paper; he could even hear the hands ticking on the clock.

_/Standing there isn't going to change anything, Hikari./_

_Shut up…_, Marik thought. "Just shut the hell up."

It merely laughed as Marik crumbled the note and tossed it into the trashcan. He left the kitchen and hurried up to his room on the second floor, his eyes wide and his breaths coming out in heavy bursts through his mouth. Nearly unhinged his bedroom door, Marik tore into his room, immediately throwing his belongings across the room as he searched for his meds.

_What the hell did I do with them?_ Marik thought desperately, as he tossed clothes out of drawers. As more and more time went by, the voices began speaking in his head, increasing in volume as Marik continuing searching his room. By now the teen was panicking, his fear growing as steady as the voices' uttering was, practically consuming him. He felt like the room was progressively becoming smaller and smaller as the seconds ticked by. After searching under his bed, Marik stood in the middle of his room, his eyes darting to the chaos that was his room. His mind was a mess; it was confusing to think where he hadn't looked when the voices were continuously talking and attempting to confuse him further.

"Damnit, just shut up," Marik forced out between gritted teeth.

He rubbed his forehead as he scanned the room once more, trying to drown out the noise.

_/Hikari…/_

"Stop calling me that."

He could almost _feel _the voice grin evilly. _/Hikari, Hikari, Hikari…/ _it drawled.

"Fuck," Marik whispered, pressing his hands firmly against his ears.

_/Hikari, stop running away. Your escape from me is no longer here…/_

_It's here,_ Marik thought, unconsciously answering back._ I know it's here; I fucking saw it!_

_/Marik./_

Marik flinched and shrunk in on himself, slowly falling down to his knees and whispering furiously to himself. The voice sounded even scarier than before, all the maniacal playfulness vanished from its tone. Marik couldn't help but fear it; that voice that sounded more insane than the rest of the voices…

He could tell the voice was becoming impatient since Marik had yet to answer it back, and that scared him even more. This has never happened before. Why now? Why now of all times? Marik could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and buried his head in between his legs. Eventually, _reluctantly_, Marik answered back with a terse, "What?"

_/_ _I am only here to protect you. After all…that is what you created me for…./_

Marik suppressed a shudder. Those words, those exact same words…Marik remembered hearing the voice say it before.

_/I'm glad you actually do bother to listen to me/ _it said, smugly. _/Know that I am telling the truth; right now you need me….They want you gone. Everybody. Even your sister and those so called friends you've managed to gain since my absence…/_

Squeezing his eyes shut, Marik could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Shut up, it's not true. It's not…" he whispered.

_/You sound so sure of yourself…/_

"It's not true."

_/You saw the looks your "friends" gave you when you told them what you were…/_

Unwillingly, Marik thought back to the time he first met Bakura and Ryou. He was sure they had accepted him with warm smiles but now…Now, he could only remember the disapproving glances they gave each other and the conversations they would have behind his back.

_I…I don't remember that happening. That couldn't have happen….That didn't happen!_

The voice continued on as if Marik hadn't said anything. _/Even today…you saw how she looked at you. She wanted to send you away…/_

"SHUT UP!" Marik screamed. He refused to believe this. The voice was lying; it had to be. Marik knew it wasn't real. "Stop trying to confuse me!"

_/You're only confusing yourself…You've buried yourself in your own fantasy land…completely ignoring the danger around you…./_

The voice suddenly laughed, causing Marik to flinch again. _/Think of me as the better part of you/ _it said haughtily._ /Let me take over and you won't have to fear anyone ever again. I can take care of _all_ of your fears…/_

"You're not me," Marik said stubbornly, latching on to the one statement that was safer than the others to venture into. "And I'm certainly not you."

_/Is that so?/ _the voice said in a deadly whisper.

Suddenly Marik felt his hands begin to move away from his ears. His eyes filled with horror as Marik raised his head and _watched_ his own hands moving towards his throat. Marik felt his breaths come out in short gasps, his heart felt like it was beating right out of his chest; in vain, Marik tried to pull his hands away but he no longer had any control over his own limbs.

"_Oh, Ra,"_ Marik choked out, now nearly sobbing. "Stop, please, stop it."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Marik's hands ceased its path to his throat. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pressed his hands between his legs.

_/That's not all I can do either…/ _the voice said, arrogantly. _/You say I'm not you….Well, why don't you look in the mirror, Hikari? You'll see me…/_

Tentatively, Marik stared at the mirror across his room. He could only see part of his arm and leg in it yet the teen couldn't bring himself to move in order to see what the voice was talking about.

_/Such weakness…/_

The whisper caused Marik to flinch again. The last thing he wanted to do was look at the mirror but…he didn't want to end up being choked to death. Marik hands shook as he wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up. Hesitantly, Marik moved towards the mirror, his breaths coming out in shallow bursts, and his whole body trembling slightly. Finally, he stood in front of the glass…and everything suddenly became cold.

In the mirror, two lavender eyes, like his own, stared back at him, an insane glee filling them.

_/You can call me Malik./ _it said before Marik's vision went black.

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><p><strong>AN: **Yay, two updates in a month _and _before my birthday! *dances happily* Not only that but this chapter more than enough made up for the seriously short chapter I last posted X3

Please review? :3


	4. Sinking In

**Chapter 4- Sinking In**

The first thing Marik noticed was that he felt chilled to the bone. The next thing he realized was that his body felt weightless; it was like he was floating.

This bothered him.

If he remembered correctly he should be on the floor of his bedroom; a hard surface. That reason alone was enough to make him afraid to open his eyes.

_/That suits me just fine…/_

On impulse, Marik snapped his eyes open—only to be met with complete and utter darkness.

"W-what the hell?"

A dark chuckle seemed to echo around him and reverberate around his entire being. _/Are you surprised? It took longer than I thought to get you in here./_

Marik gritted his teeth as his body trembled. Trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, Marik shouted out angrily, "Damnit, where the hell am I?"

_/You don't remember this place?/_'

Slowly, Marik raised himself up to his knees, still squinting in the dark. Of course, it was futile and Marik soon gave up. He closed his eyes before responding back to the voice. "No, I don't remember this place." Marik sighed wearily. "Just tell me where we are."

_/…We're in the deepest part of your mind. Think of this place as a room if you will./_

"If it's a room then why is it so dark?"

He could feel the voice give an unkind smile at him.

_/Well…that's because it's mine. You confine me here, after all…/_

Marik couldn't help but flinch at the voice's tone. It was like it was accusing him of doing something inhumane. Something he had no memory of doing.

_/This place…is where you kept your darkest emotions and thoughts.../ _the voice continued. _/Hatred…wrath…pain. I am the embodiment of these things. This place is where we first met, where you made me./_

"Why did you bring me here?" Marik dared to whisper out.

_/Didn't I already tell you?/ _It almost sounded absentminded. _/I'm here to protect you from them. Once again…/_

"I'm fine," Marik said. "I don't need you or anyone to protect me."

_I just need my meds, _he thought.

_/No./_

Marik jumped nearly a foot in the air. "W-what?"

_/No, you don't need your medication,/ _the voice said callously._ /It'll only hinder us; make it easier for them to lock you up again./_

"Stop. You're lying. It's helping me."

_/You sound so positive of yourself,/ _it said, mockingly._ /You didn't give much of a good argument earlier./_

"Just—" Marik felt something brush his cheek and the words he was about to say died in his throat.

_/This isn't a discussion./ _the voice said coldly.

Abruptly, the darkness began to brighten and Marik was gradually able to make out a body in the fading shadows. Soon a form clad in a sleeveless black shirt and khaki cargo pants stood before him. This person…Marik could tell it was a male body. The darkness had subsided enough for Marik to see that this person was wearing gold earrings, armbands, and bracelets up to his wrists. Horror consumed him though when the Egyptian male gazed at the person's face.

He looked nearly identical to himself if it weren't for a couple of slight differences: unlike Marik's own platinum blond hair, the other had his hair partially spiked. And his eyes. Marik felt as if he was looking into the eyes of the insane, only hollow mauve eyes stared back at him.

"M—" Marik found it hard to make his vocal cords work again. "Malik?"

The voice—no, _Malik _laughed, confirming what Marik feared. _/You pay attention after all,/_ he said, his words to Marik felt as if they were seeped with poison.

This was all too much to take in. He wanted to get out of this place. He needed his medicine. He needed this person to go away. He—

Without warning Marik was snapped out of his crazed thoughts as he felt a frigid hand wrap around his throat. Reflectively gasping for breath, his hands shot out to futilely pulled on Malik's merciless grip.

"What are you doing?" Marik managed to choke out.

_/Do you think I'm just going to stand here and give you the chance to lock me away again?/_ replied Malik, his gaze emotionless as his hand tighten more around Marik's throat. _/After all the trouble I went through to get you here the last thing that's going to happen is that. Remember you need me now. That's why this has to happen and why you should heed me when I say that your medicine will do you no good now. Do you understand me?/_

With difficulty, Marik nodded and relief overwhelmed him when Malik released his throat. Gasping and coughing for breath, fear racked his mind. He nearly died here. His sister, his new friends, his new life, all of it was nearly taken from him from the voice. This _person._ He wasn't sure what he should do anymore.

Once again, tears began to form in Marik's eyes. He rubbed his throat while trying his best not to cry in front of his assailant and kidnapper.

How could he trust in Malik's words after he nearly tried to kill him? If he was really in danger, he definitely had evidence that he should be keeping his distance from the look-alike in front of him but…

Marik thought back to what Malik had made him recall earlier, his sister…Bakura and Ryou…they wouldn't want him gone, would they? To blindly believe they wouldn't seem senseless yet the same could be said for thinking they would too. Marik shook his head. That was a direction he didn't want to go down. Glancing from underneath his fringe, Marik could see Malik walking back and forth, his arms folded as he watched the teen.

_What do I do?_ Marik thought desperately. What if Malik was lying to him? If he didn't fight to keep those he wanted would Malik do his best to take them away from him? Or worse…kill him?

He looked when Malik's eyes met his. His heart began to pound like a jack rabbit. If he didn't do anything he was going to lose everything. If he did something, darkness would be the only thing he'll know for a long time. Not only that, but Marik had no idea how to get himself out of here.

_/I'm tired of waiting,/ _Malik said, stopping in front of Marik. _/As entertaining as it is to watch you mentally run yourself down, there isn't the time for it. Do I need to decide for you, Hikari?/_

"N-no, but—"

The expression on Malik's face turned from impatience to harsh annoyance causing Marik to cease talking.

_/How annoying./ _Malik moved to kneel in front of Marik, causing the teen to immediately start backing away. However, Marik didn't even move much before he felt Malik's hands on his shoulders and was being pulled even closer towards his other self. _/What more than you need to think on? I have already shown you your enemies. How do you think you've lost what you had back then, when they first made us go to that place?/_

The memory of sterile white walls, paper blue gown, and bed sheets filled Marik's mind without any prompting. He shuddered, even now, thinking about that place caused fear. That place was nothing but a living hell for him. Not only was he forced to live there for months on end, _Ishizu_ was the one to send him there, stripping him of his normal life and replacing it with white.

_/Yes…/_ said Malik. There was something in his tone that worried Marik but he didn't think any more on it as Malik said next, _/How do you think it will go when she finds out you stopped taking your medication in the first place? Just restarting your meds again won't change anything./ _Malik's hand gripped tighten as he smiled at Marik. Something about the smile looked off as well to the Egyptian teen but Malik continued to talk, _/Just let me take care of things. You don't want to go back there, do you? You don't want to give your so-called friends a reason to lock you up in there, right? Then, trust me. You need me now…only me. I am the only one you can trust now. I am you after all…/_

_He's right, _Marik thought. _Who can I trust if I can't even trust myself?_

"_That's right…" _said Malik, approvingly. _"Now…do you know what to do?"_

Marik suddenly felt weak and his vision was becoming blurry. He looked up into Malik's eyes…they seemed faded. The longer he looked at those hollow eyes the weaker he felt…the more he felt like he was sinking in them….

_How do you expect me to know? _Marik thought. His vision seemed to be getting darker. _I only know what you tell me…_

"_Then…don't worry about it….I will take over…"_

_Alright._

The sun was nearly disappearing from the horizon as dark, gloomy clouds obscured most of the evening sky. It was going to rain soon but that wouldn't matter much. He had never felt rain before anyway.

Malik stood in front of the door and took in a deep breath. Air. It was a definitely a novel concept to him as was the senses of touch and sound. This was something he could easily get used to. It felt so good to have a body of his own. No longer was he confined to the dark depths of his weak Hikari's mind. He was going to take advantage of his new existence in any way he saw fit.

Fingering a butcher knife in his front pocket, Malik set out onto the streets of this new world of light and people.

There was bound to be somebody that would tickle his fancy.

He had lost tracked of time since the rain began to pour from the heavens. It seemed like hours had passed since he had spotted a little game store, called Kame Game Shop, and began watching the two individuals from across the street.

The two teenagers he was so interested in were near mirror images of the other. Both were lacking in the height department, though one was slightly taller, and had nearly the same spiky, tricolored hair. It looked like they were finally ushering their customers (or were they friends?) out the door and preparing to close the shop for the evening.

Blank violet eyes followed the two other teens as they left the game shop, one sandy-haired and incredibly loud while the other had a punk version of a crew cut and was just as rambunctious as his companion. After a few minutes of deciding whether he should go after them, he decided it wasn't worth it. He was _much _more interested in the taller teen inside the shop.

_Boom!_

The sky lit up for a few seconds before darkening once more, the sound of the thunder once again resounding.

Malik looked up at the black sky just as the rain picked up again, its heavy icy droplets crashing down against his vacant face.

It was hard to concentrate. He still wasn't used to this many thoughts that were consuming his head. Repeatedly, he thought about his drenched attire, his purple cloak clung to his arms as did the rest of his clothing; his once wild hair had been tamed and flowed over his cloak and shoulders. However, the one thought that was loudest was the need to hear screams, to see fear reflected in the eyes of the one he sought, to feel the pleasure of his hands closed over the sounds of another as they are painted red. This thought invoked something inside him; practically made his insides giddy.

In the back of his mind, he could feel his hikari stirring. He frowned. He had had wasted precious time. Before his hikari could rob him of his new found freedom, he was going to enjoy a bit of fun.

Malik couldn't help but smile, a smile so wide it spread across his face. He lifted the hood of his cloak and covered his head, his crazed smile still visible as he began each step that brought him closer to the game shop as well as a new toy to play with.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Not much for me to say on this one ^^U I do hope that this is at least invoking some fear in ya'll :3 and that there's a lot of monologue in this xDD But don't worry, the action starts in the next chapter ;D

As always, please be so kind to R&R! ^.^ /


	5. Stuck on the Inside

**A/N: **For those of you that haven't noticed…the rating has been changed to M now XD Guess, you know what's coming up next then ;D

_**WARNING: **__**IF YOU'RE EXPECTING TO BE NO DEMENTED MALIK THEN YOU'RE READING THE WRONG FIC. TURN BACK NOW WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE~! **_ (Personally, I don't think it's that bad but meh..*shrugs*)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5- Stuck on the Inside<strong>

_Ding, ding!_

The bell hanging above the door sounded distant as Malik was blinded by the brightness of the store. Even hidden by the shadow of his hood his eyes were in pain. The light was annoying. It was too bright inside here. Why was it so bright? It's too bright…

"Ah, sorry we're closed right now."

A sickeningly sweet and high pitched voice distracted Malik from his surroundings. It took him awhile to focus his sight on the petit male addressing him, who was standing nearby.

He was shorter than Malik initially thought; the kid barely made it to his chest. He was looking back at him with benevolent, amethyst eyes as he walked towards him.

"_I'm not here to buy anything,"_ said Malik coolly. _"Where is the one that looks like you?"_

Surprise crossed the teen's face. "Yami? Do you know him?"

_/So, his name is Yami…/_ Malik thought. _"You can say that," Malik voiced out loud. "Go get him.."_

Hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he should be doing listening to somebody he didn't know, the kid turned around and disappeared behind a door that was in the back of the shop. Malik smiled slightly. This was becoming too easy— not that he was complaining. He could feel his hikari stirring; his time was definitely ticking.

While waiting, he looked around the shop, noting some of the games he had seen in his hikari's room. He walked towards the glass counter and leaned against it, all the while fingering the knife in his pocket as he looked for the light switch in the area. It didn't take long for him to find it, and he smiled once again as he thought of different ways of how to handle his prey. Mere minutes later, the sound of the doorknob turning alerted Malik and he was soon entranced as he watched the other twin coming out.

Immediately, Malik noticed Yami was considerably less sweet-tempered than his other sibling, rather, he looked exotic. Compared to the other brother, Yami's eyes glowed with the intensity of a blazing fire, and his body radiated confidence, not like the softhearted personality of his twin.

The longer Malik took in the entrancing sight the more it was seeming like he had chosen perfectly. Malik couldn't help the Cheshire Cat grin that spread across his face as he looked Yami up and down. Oh, yes, he had definitely found someone worth his time; he could practically feel the blood rushing through his body! He wondered how much of a fight Yami would put against him, how it would feel to have Yami's lithe frame pressed against his own…to hear his screams….He had the intense feeling to violate the male in front of him, in more ways than one, but he wanted to drag this out for as long as possible. _Savor _the moment.

"What are you doing? Get away from me."

The calm, authoritative voice broke through the haze that had engulfed Malik. Shaking his head, he realized that he had unconsciously moved closer towards Yami.

Yami didn't waste any time speaking as soon as he realized he had Malik's attention again. "Who are you? What do you want?" he asked warily.

_/What I want?/ _Malik repeated slowly. It was getting hard to concentrate; hard to stay calm. He could barely hold back anymore…barely form coherent thoughts.

_\Wait…No…Wait….\_

Malik chuckled darkly as he heard the faint echo of his hikari's voice tried to fight against the restraints.

As if he could wait any longer. It was time for him to play…

The sound of surprise seemed distant as Yami barely made it out of Malik's reach but he wasn't quick enough to escape from Malik's hands twice. Successfully pinning Yami against the wall, Malik harshly gripped the hair on the back of the petit male's head before yanking down. A sharp hiss escaped from those rose-tinted lips as Malik crushed his lips against them in a rough, bruising kiss. Immediately, Yami began fighting back, grunting and doing everything he could to inflict pain on Malik.

But Malik wasn't feeling the pain as he should. It felt too good. Everything felt too good. Yami's lips, the feel of his body, the soft, subdued cries coming from that fragile throat.

He couldn't be stopped; He _refused _to stop.

Malik forced Yami's mouth open and thrust his tongue inside that hot, moist depth.

He wanted more. He wanted more. Heneededmoregivememore_givememore!_

Suddenly Malik felt something that made him recoil back slightly. He could feel a sharp pang on his lips. Slowly, Malik brought a hand to touch them as he faintly realized he was feeling pain. Once pulling them back he saw that there was blood on his fingertips.

_/Huh./_

Malik eyes traveled slowly from the red drips towards defiant red. And a callous grin tugged at his lips.

"_I might have gone easy on you if you hadn't resisted so much," _Malik whispered, pulling the knife out from his pocket, _"but now I've changed my mind."_

He licked the blade slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on Yami's own. "I'm going to rip you apart now," he said sweetly.

Yami launched himself from the wall a split second before the words even left Malik's mouth but it didn't matter. It was already too late.

Expecting Yami to head for the back door, Malik moved towards it as well. He didn't waste any time preventing his prey from escaping. Quickly his right hand shot out and grabbed Yami by the arm, yanked the small frame back and swung him into the store's display case.

_Crash!_

Glistening shards scattered everywhere, crunching under Malik's boots as he turned out the lights. He could hear Yami gasp out in pain as lighting bathed the store in temporary light. Malik could hear his Hikari's groans, trying to break from his restraints as thunder roared above him. Time was ticking.

Malik felt as if he was watching someone else move across the glistening floor; shortening the distance between Yami and the cloaked figure. But he could feel the softness of skin and the heat of flesh against the cloaked figure's hand as it closed around Yami's throat, pulling him away from the crumpled mess of the display case and onto the floor. Despite being detached from the feelings of his actions, he knew what he wanted to do next.

Slowly, Malik's hand tightens around Yami's slim neck and immediately the petit teen's hands tried to claw away at Malik's. A slight chuckled ghosted over Malik's lips as he watched Yami struggled.

"_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!"_

Malik felt like he was jolted from his dream as he heard that sickeningly sweet voice sounding furious and horrified at the same time and noticed that the searing, bright lights had come back on. Snapping his head towards the source of the shout, Malik glared straight at the younger brother, who was standing stock-still, his hand still hovering over the light switch.

A loud crack sounded as Yami used the opportunity to connect his fist with Malik's face but that only pissed Malik off. Quickly retaliating, Malik picked Yami up by the neck before slamming him back down. As he heard more screams from behind him, he dropped the knife long enough to backhand Yami across his face, causing his head to bang against the floor.

"Yuugi," gasped out Yami, still trying to pry Malik's hand off of him, "don't. Get—out of here now."

_\No…No, please…..Wait…\_

Malik's head rolled slowly back towards Yami, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed at him. _"I'd listen to him if I were you…"_ Malik raised the knife up before turning back to Yuugi and bringing it into his view, watching with satisfaction as the petit male eyes went wide in horror. "You wouldn't want him dead would you?" Without warning, he brought the knife down in a slashing motion, ripping apart Yami's skin in two quick cuts against the side of his stomach.

Yuugi screamed and Yami cried out as blood appeared on the floor, the glass, their clothes, and the knife.

Malik was about to bring the knife crashing down again when he felt a force other than his own stop his arm from raising up. Panic swelled in Malik's chest as he realized his hold on Marik was faltering.

_/Damnit…_Damnit! _No! Stay the hell out of this!/_

He tried to move his arm again but to no avail.

_\Get off of him! Malik, GET THE HELL OFF OF HIM! Please! Just stop it! Stop it, STOP IT!\_

At some point, through his hikari's screaming, he noticed Yuugi had ran out of the room. Cursing loudly at the turn of events he released Yami's neck and made a beeline for the door. Using his cloak to turn the doorknob, Malik burst through the door and into the torrential rain. He thought he could hear sirens in the distance. Not wasting any more time he took off down the street as fast as he could.

-o-o-o-

Marik sat huddled against the wall, his legs pressed up to his chest with his head lying down on his knees. Every now and again a sob would break the silence of his room as Marik switched an ice pack from one hand to the other. He had no idea how much time had passed since….since that incident happened. Marik was doing his best to forget but he couldn't banish the images from his mind so easily.

_Malik…_

The mere thought of him sent cold chills down Marik's spine. He was scared out of his mind about…his doppelganger, his imposter, his darker half, whatever he claim himself to be. He didn't know what was happening, what _had_ happened; how he ended up being trapped inside his own body, in some deep slumber and refrained from using his own limbs. And next, seemingly as if he was waking up from a bad dream, how he ended up looking down at defiant ruby eyes with cold satisfaction. A split second later he was surrounded by darkness for what felt like a very long time and, lastly, somehow ended up standing in the middle of the hallway of his own home, his cheek and jaw throbbing with pain…and a stained butcher knife in his hand.

Marik burrowed further into his lap, placing the ice pack beside him while trying to stop himself from shaking from the thought but the whole ordeal was too frightening. He was losing touch with reality. There was no way this could have happened. This didn't happen. But the words couldn't be held onto and the cold and sad truth was threatening to consume him.

"Ra, help me," Marik whispered.

_/Stop your crying already./_

Marik jumped and instinctively searched his room, fully on guard while trying to find the source of that menacing voice. Only the cluttered mess of his room greeted his eyes. Did he only imagine it? After a few minutes Marik tried to relax his tensed muscles. He pressed his forehead back onto his knees and tried to breathe. "I need help. Sister…."

_/She won't help you./_

Marik gasped at the near frigid touch on his shoulders. His head snapped up and his eyes met cold, soulless eyes. He wanted to scream but his throat clenched and his mouth became dry; he couldn't even speak let only scream.

"_You," _said Malik, his voice filled with contempt, _"are so pathetically weak." _His hands tightened on Marik's shoulders. _"How many times am I going to repeat this before it finally sticks in that little goldfish brain of yours? Just look at yourself. This is why you made me, why you _need _me." _He shook his head before releasing Marik.

"You nearly killed him," Marik said, suddenly finding his voice. "You said to trust you and I did! You said you'd protect me, and I believed you! Why would you go off and attempt to murder a guy? I would never hurt anybody!"

"_That's because I'm better than you," _Malik said simply, unperturbed by Marik's sudden outburst. _"I'm the kind of person you don't have the courage to be. What you won't do…I can and I can do it so much better than you ever could. Unlike you, I can't be held back._

_As for what I told you…I wasn't lying. And you weren't there when I was the one being attacked. Although, I'll admit I didn't defend myself like I should have."_

The Egyptian teen looked at his other half warily, chewing the new information over. "You mean he attacked you first?"

"_Of course."_

"Why?"

His voice became irritated. _"So many questions. You should just take my word for it."_

"Why would I? I barely know you."

Malik signed; a long, impatient sign. _"This again?"_ He leaned over Marik and the teen realized that if Malik suddenly decided to be rid of him there wouldn't be anybody to help him even if he did manage to make it out of his bedroom.

"_I'm not going to kill you." _Once again he placed his icy hands on Marik's shoulders causing him to flinch. _"I told you already that I'm here to protect you." _Unable to move he could feel Malik's hand move up from his shoulders with deliberate slowness; they came to the base of his neck and Marik thought for sure Malik could feel his pulse quicken as they reached further up then finally rested on his cheeks. As Malik forced Marik's head up, he continued, "You need me here just as _I need you. Now, I can't do what you made me for if you keep continuing to doubt me. If you want to survive—to exist—in this world without losing your freedom then you need to let me make all the decisions; your sense of judgment is conflicting at best and not trustworthy. You don't seem to realize the danger you've surrounded yourself in. Your sister, your new friends, everyone…they don't want you. They would rather lock somebody like you up; to snuff you out. After all, they only need you to screw up once so that they can throw you back into that so called institution that claims to help you. You don't want that do you? That's why you only need me. They're too dangerous for us to be around. Deep down you know this; I know this. So you've no need to question me. Now…stop trying to find excuses to doubt me and let me in."_

Marik, unaware of the sudden close proximity Malik was to him, was startled when he felt Malik's lips mercilessly crush against his own. His hands immediately flew up to push Malik off of him but were just as quickly caught and held tightly against his back. The teen squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his mouth forcibly open and filled with his other's tongue. He tasted…off. Marik wasn't quite sure how Malik tasted but it bothered him immensely.

As quick as it all started, it was over just as quickly. He felt Malik pull back so he opened his eyes tentatively. Malik was still too close for comfort and he was smirking, no doubt, at the astonished look on Marik's face. Once again Marik became confused. Too many emotions and thoughts were welled up inside him and it was beginning to be difficult to discern which was what.

"_Are you going to let me in?"_

Indecision racked Marik making him unable to answer. He opened his mouth but no words would come out and he closed it. He didn't know what he should answer so, Marik averted his eyes and weakly mumbled, "Please…could you let go of me?"

There was a slight pause and Marik wasn't sure if Malik was going to listen until he felt some warmth return to his fingers. "Thanks…"

Malik merely brushed it off. _"You're still unsure…"_

Marik wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement but he couldn't catch the tone in his dark's voice. Regardless, he nodded though he still didn't look at Malik. But it didn't seem Malik liked that and Marik soon felt that algid touch on his chin, forcing his head up again so that Marik was looking at Malik. He was smiling at him and Marik still found something wrong with Malik's smile….It looked too pleasant, too calculating….

"_Don't worry,"_ he said, the pad of his thumb rubbing against Marik's chin. _"That will change."_

-o-o-o-

For the next few weeks Malik would appear in his apparition form and, more or less, repeat his little speech; asking Marik the same questions over and over and making comments about everything Marik thought or did. It was becoming stressful; taking more energy to ignore the constant assault of talking from Malik. He was losing sleep and appetite since Malik began dictating and would get angry if Marik didn't agree, did what Malik tell him to do, or ignored him completely. By the time the first week since his sister left was nearing its end Marik couldn't bring himself to go to work. He began making the common excuses like being sick and going out of the city until he just quit working at the café altogether. He couldn't even answer the phone when Bakura or Ryou called once he stopped working, much to Malik's glee. Cut off from all the things that Malik considered to be dangerous Marik slowly began to open up towards Malik. Little by little he'd let Malik touch him, no longer noticing the cold and realizing that he enjoyed Malik's acts on him. Not only that, but it reached the point to wear Marik would willingly give up control, allowing Malik to use his body for whatever the spirit felt like doing. When he became aware of surroundings again, he would always be in his room. He was no longer worried because it no longer mattered anymore. Malik would keep him safe; Malik would make sure that his worst fears would never come true.

-o-o-o-

_Diiing dongg ding~!_

Marik looked up from the bowl and sponge he held in his hands before glancing at the clock. _Almost 9, _Marik thought as the doorbell rang again. _Who would come here at a time like this?_

_/Don't bother answering it/ _said Malik languidly. _/I doubt it's anything important./_

"But…what if it's my sister?" Marik asked, setting his items down as the doorbell rang again. "She's supposed to come in two days but she might've been able to come back early."

_/Then she would have keys to get in, dumbass./_

"Ohh…right…."

Marik was about to resume washing the dishes when suddenly an onslaught of noise came from his front door. Somebody was pressing the doorbell button repeatedly while pounding on his door causing a noise so loud Marik immediately stopped what he was going to do and practically ran to the door.

"What the hell is your probl—ah!"

Marik was cut off from his building torrent when a plastic bag filled with small boxes was pushed into his chest, causing him to take several steps back. "What the hell?" Marik asked bewildered just as the culprit who put it there stepped inside his house.

"I guess you're too good to pick up the phone or come by the café now huh?"Marik looked up from the bag and saw Bakura standing there with a smirk as he pushed the plastic into his chest.

"I'm sorry," Ryou said from behind. "I didn't think he'd do that.."

"You're here too?!" Marik blurted out which caused Bakura to glare and Marik to quickly backpedal. "I didn't mean it like that. I just...wasn't expecting anyone."

"Yeah, well, if we had called you'd probably skipped town with the way you've been acting lately."

Marik couldn't argue with that so he stood aside and let the two white-haired teens inside. He could feel Malik steaming beside him but chose to ignore it. After all, it had been days since he had seen Bakura and Ryou; it was like he had nearly forgotten their existence and even the outside world. It was a shock and Marik realized that it had been awhile since he had left the apartment.

"How's it going at the cafe?" He asked, as he locked the door behind himself and looked inside the plastic bag. "What the hell is this?"

Flopping onto the couch, Bakura said dismissively, "What do you think it is?" He pointed at Ryou, who blushed slightly, "It was his idea. Personally, I'd let you starve..."

Marik smiled. Leave it to Ryou to be the thoughtful, forgiving one. He placed the bag of Chinese takeout on the table before playfully ruffling Ryou's hair. "Thanks and I'm sorry for not keeping in touch with you guys."

Bakura grunted while Ryou smiled brightly. "It's ok," he said, ignoring Bakura's grumbled "No, it's not," and began taking out the red and white boxes. "Since it's been awhile we thought we'd eat with you. Maybe we can catch up on things!"

"Sure," said Marik, before leaning over and tossing Bakura the remote. "Maybe we can catch a movie on TV too or something. Would you guys like anything to drink?"

Bakura shook his head while he turned the TV on. Ryou nodded, "Water is fine."

Marik nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

_/You're letting them stay.../_

Marik jumped. He had completely forgotten about Malik. The barely contained anger in his dark's voice sent chills down his spine. "Yeah," he whispered so that his friends wouldn't hear him from the living room. "They came all this way after all; I don't want to be rude."

He felt Malik seethed as he took two glasses out from the cabinet.

_/I don't want them here./_

"I'm not kicking them out."

_/What?/_

Marik set the two glasses filled with water on the counter and, with great difficultly, forced himself to face Malik's transparent form. "I want them here. After seeing them here, I didn't realize how much I missed them." He took a breath. "I'm not kicking them out." He started to turn back around when Malik's grip held him in place. "Ow!"

Malik's grip tighten as he looked at Marik with smoldering anger in his eyes. Marik could feel his stomach begin to twist and turn as fear crawled up his body.

_/What's this?/_ asked Malik. _/You're not listening to me now? Did you forget that_ you need me?!/ His hold on Marik began to tighten even more as he talked until it took all Marik had to not scream out in pain.

"Malik, _stop it_," he begged, trying to pry Malik's fingers off of him. Tears were beginning to form in eyes; he didn't want Bakura or Ryou to hear him but he was reaching his limit.

Malik tilted his head to the side as he watched Marik gasp in pain, no longer increasing his hold but not relinquishing either. _/You don't need anyone else but me,/_ he said. He looked down the hallway were commercials could be heard playing in the living room. _/To prove that.../ _he turned back to Marik's fearful face, _/maybe I should show you what I can do when you don't listen to me, hm?/_

Marik's eyes opened wide. "No, don't," he choked out. "They didn't do anything."

_/They both look nearly the same,/_ Malik went on, feigning deafness, _/but I like that older one. What was his name again?/_ He paused before saying softly, _/Ah, yes. _Bakura_/_ he fixed his dull eyes on Marik's. _/I wonder...what it will look like once I paint the walls with his blood? I'm sure it would be beautiful...Don't you agree?/_

Marik was crying now. His whole body was shaking. He could feel his arm becoming numb; he was sure a bruise would be left behind. He knew he should give Malik what he wanted now but...

"Alright...alright," Marik forced out through gritted teeth. "Just...can I let them stay for a little while? As a final goodbye. I won't see them again after today." He looked up at Malik. "Please."

It felt like years went by as Malik looked back at him with half-lidded eyes, desolate and dark. Suddenly, Marik could feel warmth return to his and the entire kitchen as Malik straighten himself.

_/20 minutes,/_ he said, coldly. He looked up at the clock and added, _/If they're not out after the time is up and going to make you watch./ _Malik turned back towards him. _/Starting now./_

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><p><strong>AN: **Until next time~


	6. Stretched Thin

**A/N:** Tis a short chapter this one…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6—Stretched Thin<strong>

4:29…4:32….4:35…4:35 still…

Each time Marik got an opening he didn't waste a moment and checked the clock in as much tact as he could muster. He didn't have the stomach to eat the food his friends brought; he was too terrified, and it was hard enough to engage in small talk with Ryou while not giving himself away. At the same time he was frantically trying to think up a good excuse to get them out without making Bakura suspicious. He was already on Bakura's bad side so it wasn't going to be a small feat.

He glanced up at the clock again. 4:35. Oh, my Ra, he had only 5 minutes left. Out the corner of his right eye he could see Malik beside Ryou and his heartbeat sped up. He watched as Malik slowly walked around Ryou before stopping by Bakura's side.

_/Such pale skin he has.../_ said Malik as he observed Marik's friend. _/There doesn't seem to be any marks...Haha, such purity./_ He looked up at Marik as he trailed a finger down Bakura's skin.

Almost immediately Bakura jumped and looked right through Malik, rubbing his arm.

"Bakura?" Ryou asked.

The albino teen looked back at the two of them before shaking his head. "It's nothing; just got a chill."

Ryou shrugged and changed the channel as Marik glanced at the clock again: 4:37.

_/You like him, don't you?/_ continued Malik, still looking at Bakura with hungry eyes. _/Can you imagine him beneath us? I can. I can think of all sorts of things I can do to him too.../_

_Leave him out of this!_ Marik all but screamed in his head.

_/I thought you wanted him?/_

_Wh-what?! What makes you think that I want-_

_/You seem to keep forgetting that I am a part of you so who are you trying to fool here? I know every single_ _thing about you. Right down to your little daydreams about this.../_ Marik watched in horror as Malik's hand lowered slowly down Bakura's body, stopping just above the teen's crotch, _/inside you. Why not have a little fun with-/_

"-Police have yet to catch or even name a suspect to the brutal assault to the male shopkeeper that occurred at the Kame Game Shop three weeks ago."

Marik's head snapped towards the TV, his mouth slowly opening as images of the shop flashed across the screen. He looked at Malik and saw him smiling, his earlier suggestion forgotten now. His dark was completely enrapt as he saw his handy work on TV.

"No further details have been giving by the police," the reporter continued, "but they do say they have a lot of work ahead and believe the crime may be an act of revenge."

Bakura snorted and immediately received a reprimand from Ryou. "What?" He asked, slurping the rest of his noodles down. "Don't tell me you don't think somebody wanting to finally payback to Mr. Goody Two-Shoes isn't funny? Tch, he probably pissed off the wrong person for once."

_Oh, you have no idea…._

Malik snickered at this as Marik slowly looked down at his hands. He didn't even hear Ryou's remark to Bakura's snide comment. A single thought ran through his mind over and over again: Malik had nearly killed a total stranger. The proof was staring him blatantly in the face and Marik realized he had been living in a fantasy world. He could no longer believe Malik was telling the truth after seeing the wreck of the shop on TV. Hell, he was sure the shopkeeper the reporter mentioned was even far worse off than his shop, perhaps even still in the hospital. There was no justification for the sheer brutality he had just witnessed even if Malik was struck first.

He glanced at the clock again and quickly stood up. It was 4:44 and Malik was too busy with the news to realize it.

"Hey," he started, pulling his phone out of his pocket and pretending to check the time, "I actually have some things to do around the house since my sister is coming back from her trip. I want the place to look at least halfway decent before she gets here. So, if you don't mind..."

"Oh, no," said Ryou, immediately standing and dragging Bakura up with him when he didn't move. "We didn't realize we caught you at a bad time."

"No, it's fine," Marik smiled weakly. "I'm glad you guys came to see me."

Bakura snorted before pushing Ryou towards the door and opening it. "Yeah, well, don't make this a habit."

"Come by the cafe sometimes!" Ryou called out as Bakura closed the door behind them.

Marik breathed a sigh of relief as he locked the door. That went a lot better than he thought it would.

_/Well, aren't you lucky?/_ asked Malik, from beside the couch.

Marik closed his eyes. Instead of commenting on that line of topic Marik stated, "You said you could've defended yourself better..." A flash of the teen's blood flashed across his mind. He was starting to feel sick. "But he was already in a position where he couldn't put up a fight yet you still kept attacking him!"

_/Ra, this again?/_

Marik's eyes shot open and he looked angrily at Malik. "Yes, this again! You lied about what happened! I'm sure he didn't do anything to cause you to trash his whole shop and I'm definitely sure there was no need to hold him _at knife point!"_ By the time Marik had finish he was shouting and his hands were clenched into fists when he suddenly realized something. "Oh, my Ra, I'm going to jail," he whispered. "No, probably—solitary imprisonment—that...that...Oh, my-"

_/Just shut up./_

Marik looked up in astonishment at Malik who was apathetically cleaning his ears.

"You can't-?! _Do you even realize what you did?! _I'll be going to prison for something _you_ did!"

_/For the first and last time you're not going to jail./_

"Of course I am! Somebody has bound to have seen you trying to killing him! If not that, then DNA or-Ah!"

Malik was suddenly in front of him and, out of fear, Marik reflexively stepped back only to find his back make contact with the front door. His breath quivered as Malik raised his hand and slowly brushed it down the Egyptian teen's face.

_/Now that I've gotten your attention,/_ he said, coolly, _/if you were listening to that thing you would have heard that they don't have a clue about anything. Now...I'm becoming very tired of you questioning me. You were doing fine before those two showed up.../_

_That's because I just filed that incident as some horrible dream..._Marik thought, trying not to cry. _Now, I can't even pretend..._

_/You're beginning to annoy me./_

Marik felt those ice cold hands wrap around his neck and Malik's face was now inches from his own. Seeing those dark eyes focus on him sent shivers down Marik's body. Weeks ago he wasn't able to put a name to what was off about Malik's eyes but looking at them now...He realized the kindness Malik expressed back then was only a façade. He was stupid to think otherwise; for years the voices—Malik— had always something threatening, violent, or negative to say to him and the people around him. For years he felt like he was going insane, falling down in some deep, dark hole with no end and for years he felt so uptight and insecure; it was always like he had to look over his shoulders to make sure Malik didn't surprised him. He realized now he had let himself be deceived by a being that wanted nothing more than to inflict pain on others. And now that the rose-colored lenses were off Marik knew he had nothing else to hold onto. He couldn't find his meds, he couldn't tell his sister, and checking in to the nearest asylum was something he knew he wasn't ready for so, he was stuck with Malik…and those eyes that Marik could now identify as delitescent madness. Even now it was just barely hovering on the surface, swarming in and out of soulless depths as Malik smiled.

_/You're so weak it's pathetic,/_ he said, rubbing his thumbs across Marik's neck but not squeezing. Marik couldn't help but flinch at his dark's touch causing Malik to cackle softly. _/Are you afraid of me? Haha.../_ He made an imitation of a roar and, again, Marik flinched. _/Hn, as you should be. Do not think for a second that someone as pathetic as you can control me like you used to. Don't forget...you let me in. You don't get a say in this anymore. So, remember that the next time you want to try and get in my way again...If you do...I might just make you watch as I bring that lovely friend of yours to his knees...or how about your sister? Hm? She's so desperate to fix you anyway. Especially with the help of those quack doctors.../_

Marik's eyes went wide. "No! Stay away from her! And Bakura! They-_urg!"_

_/What?/_ asked Malik, his hands now clenched around Marik's throat. Marik tried to pry them off but that only made Malik squeeze harder and leaving him gasping for air. _/You're not listening...Fool, I don't know how you made it this far./_ He cocked his head to side and a wide, eerie grin spread across his face. _/Maybe I should show you what I'm really capable of...since you're so adamant on protecting the very people that want to subdue you. Like...Bakura. Somebody you'll never have. Who'll never want somebody like you./_

_Shut up...That's not true..._

_/Ah, but it is...So, why not make him ours for a while? I certainly want him. Just think of that pale.._pure_ skin pressed up against ours...and all the things I'll do to it...and him. Hahaha, I'll make sure to make the occasion one neither of you will ever forget./_

"Please!" Marik gasped. "I won't-"

_/I know you won't because I won't let you,/_ Malik interrupted. _/Not again. You can forget about destroying me...you can forget about getting help...Only fools rely on the help from the desperate. I'm free now...and this home is _so_ much better than the one you created for me, hehe./_

Choking on his sobs, Marik felt a rush of relief as Malik released his neck and began to fade away. He wiped his palms against his pants and tried to steady his breathing.

"I..I need to get out of here," he said to himself.

He didn't waste a second as he grabbed his keys, opened the door and left the house.

-o-o-o-

It was a full two hours before Marik was forced to return back home. Thunder was rumbling in the distance and the wind was blowing right through his t-shirt and jeans. If it weren't for the bad turn of the weather, he knew he would've stayed out much longer. He didn't feel safe enough to return home but, as he walked up the steps to his home, Marik realized it might be better for him to barricade himself inside because of Malik. _Going outside would just give Malik a reason to torture somebody_, Marik thought miserably. _Probably in broad daylight too…._

He stopped in front of the door and dug out his house key before noticing the lights were on. "Did I leave the lights on?" he asked himself softly. No…no, he didn't. The lights weren't even on when he left. So….

"Fuck," Marik muttered. If it was his sister and she really did come early he was screwed since he probably didn't look like he had seen better days and if it was an intruder he was still screwed because Malik would make the poor soul his plaything and the cops would come and eventually make _him_ their plaything.

_/Wow…./_

Marik closed his eyes. _Please be quiet…._

_/If I feel like it…./_

Malik snickered as Marik sighed, unlocking the door and entering inside. "Hello?" he called out. He felt his stomach drop as he spotted his sister's luggage by the stairway. "Sister?"

"Marik!"

The teen made his way to the staircase where Ishizu rushed to meet him. "What happened? I thought you would at least be home waiting for me…."

_What? _Marik looked at her in confusion. "I didn't think you would be home for another two days…."

"What are you talking about? I clearly remember telling you yesterday on the phone that I would be coming."

"You did?"

Ishizu gave him a sideways glance as she walked into the kitchen. "Yes." She got herself a glass and poured herself some water before looking at Marik's bewildered expression. "You…really don't remember?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

He forced himself to put on a smile as he felt Malik begin to bristle at his sister's questions and inquiring looks. What Malik had said to him was still fresh in his mind; if he wasn't careful…if he didn't make sure Ishizu or anybody else weren't suspicious of him…Malik would surely make good on his words. "I'm fine," he said. "It just slipped my mind, that's all."

Tapping the glass with her fingertip, Ishizu didn't say anything for a while causing Marik to squirm inwardly at her stare. "If you say so…"

"I do," Marik replied, turning away from her. "I'll go bring your bags upstairs."

As the Egyptian teen grabbed Ishizu's things and headed to her room, a sense of dread washed over him. No matter how hard he tried he really couldn't recall talking to her on the phone.

And that worried him immensely.


End file.
